Public Sector Innovation: The View from Torquay

The bad news for public servants is that sometimes the barriers seem overwhelming. I remember the problems all too well. Even those in situational authority find themselves, most days, having to react to large and small political crises, ensuring that the machinery of government keeps running smoothly, and focussed on Parliamentary accountability and the relentless scrutiny of the media. The default position is to avoid risk that might bring adverse political consequences for the governments that they serve. It’s the classic juggler’s dilemma: how to make the existing system work as well as possible whilst seeking to transform it so that it can do things far better.

The good news is that Australia’s public servants don’t have to do it alone. They are part of a global conversation in western democracies, informed by a growing recognition that the relationship between states and citizens (upon which trust in government authority is based) is becoming frayed.

Hard for public servants to be part of a global conversation if sites are blocked and social media participation is discouraged.

Getting on with open government and social media engagement will help improve the relationship. So do we need to move faster?